http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/high-voltage-lines-farms-s5.jpgPeople from all walks of life call on Blue Jean Nation's Mike McCabe, a non-partisan author and true independent, to step into the political arena and run for Governor in 2018.

GREEN BAY - Looking for a new type of candidate to challenge Scott Walker for governor? That's what a grassroots group of 190 concerned citizens from all parts of Wisconsin and many different walks of life all say we need.

On Wednesday, the group delivered a letter to Blue Jean Nation founder and president Mike McCabe, of rural Altoona, who they believe would be the ideal Candidate for Governor in the 2018 election.

McCabe, 56, is the author of Blue Jeans in High Places: The Coming Makeover of American Politics and for 15 years was the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan watchdog group that specializes in tracking the money in state elections and works for reforms aimed at making people matter more than money in politics. He has been a frequent contributor and blogger on these pages.

These citizens are tired of the procession of traditional Republican and Democratic politicians who they say have seized the levers of government in Wisconsin and are now being manipulated by those interested primarily in self-enrichment and personal power.

"We need you to run because of who you are and where you are from," they say to McCabe in their letter. "Rural Wisconsin is in crisis, and the rural-urban divide is growing disturbingly wide. You are farm raised and have deep rural roots, so you have what so few of today’s politicians have, namely an understanding of rural life and the challenges small-town residents face and an ability to speak their language."

The citizens believe Mike is "a public servant in the truest sense" and are asking him to run because "Wisconsin politics has grown corrupt and there is no one in our state who has worked harder for a longer time and done more to fight political corruption than you."

Before joining the Democracy Campaign’s staff in 1999 and becoming its director in 2000, Mike worked for six years as communications director and legislative liaison for the Madison Metropolitan School District. He has run a statewide civic education program for the nonprofit Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. He also formerly worked as a newspaper reporter and as a legislative aide for three Republican members of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

In his early years, Mike served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the West African country of Mali. While at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Mike co-authored Democratic Renewal: A Call to Action from America’s Heartland for the Midwest Democracy Network and while at the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance co-wrote The Framework of Your Wisconsin Government as well as a curriculum guide on state and local government for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

McCabe is a true independent and has shined light on the misdeeds of Republicans and Democrats alike. He has been speaking truth to power for decades as a nonpartisan government watchdog.

When contacted for comment by the Green Bay Progressive on Wednesday, Mike told us that he "is interested" in a possible run for Governor and may try to put together a "campaign after Labor Day" should interest continue to grow. As of now, no money has been raised for the campaign, but Mike hopes to follow the "small individual donor" model used by Bernie Sanders when and if the campaign begins.

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A copy of the letter including a complete list of the signers is presented below:

Wisconsinites Unite to Draft Mike McCabe for Governor

Dear Mike,

We strongly urge you to run for governor. Our reason is obvious: the levers of political power have been seized and are being manipulated by those interested primarily in self-enrichment and personal power. The actions of those who currently control the Capitol are extremely short-sighted as well as morally and ethically corrupt, and sap our state of its underlying strength and vitality.

The people sense this, and are hungry for a different kind of leadership. You are the right answer. You are an upright man, not interested in self-enrichment or power for power’s sake, with a feeling for the needs of others and your country. We are aware that you would rather not run for office. With the landscape littered with professional politicians and career office holders, your understandable and admirable reluctance to run only makes you more appealing to us and enhances your viability as a candidate. Added to that, you are a natural leader, with a vision of what is right, a rare gift for putting that vision into words, along with uncommon sense about how to turn words into actions. Also, the timing is right.

We need you to run because of who you are and where you are from. Rural Wisconsin is in crisis, and the rural-urban divide is growing disturbingly wide. You are farm raised and have deep rural roots, so you have what so few of today’s politicians have, namely an understanding of rural life and the challenges small-town residents face and an ability to speak their language.

We need you to run because the major parties are broken and you belong to no political party. You are a true independent and have been speaking truth to power for decades as a nonpartisan government watchdog. For decades you have shined light on the misdeeds of Republicans and Democrats alike, and have blown the whistle on them without fear or favor. That makes you a public servant in the truest sense. That’s what Wisconsin needs now more than ever.

We need you to run because Wisconsin politics has grown corrupt and there is no one in our state who has worked harder for a longer time and done more to fight political corruption than you. Truth is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity in our society, and no one in our state has demonstrated a greater devotion to truth telling than you and been more willing than you to speak the truth even when few want to hear it and some actively seek to silence it.

Because of who you are, where you are from and what you stand for, we believe you will find a deep vein of support across the state. We know running would be a huge sacrifice for you and your family. But now is the time. Your state and country are crying out for the kind of leadership you would provide. Politics and government are fouled up, and Wisconsin has lost its way. We need a jolt to the system. Wisconsin needs you.